Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

State Lawmakers Contemplate Abortion Measures, Range Of Other Health-Related Proposals

Delaware approves legislation to protect abortion rights while Texas' governor included an anti-abortion bill on his special-session wishlist. Meanwhile, an Ohio measure would keep mentally ill people off of death row and Colorado approves PTSD as a qualifying condition for the use of medical marijuana. News outlets also report on additional stated-based developments.

The Associated Press:
Delaware Protects Abortion Rights, Efforts Stall Elsewhere
As the battle over abortion rights continues to spread from Washington to state capitals, Delaware lawmakers have taken the lead in ensuring that abortion remains legal if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned. The state House on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill eliminating restrictions on abortion in current Delaware law, which has remained on the books despite being superseded for decades by federal law. (6/7)

Texas Tribune:
Gov. Abbott Calls Special Session On Bathrooms, Abortion, School Finance
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday called a special session of the Texas Legislature starting July 18 and promised to make it a sweeping one if lawmakers cooperate. ... Abbott also put anti-abortion legislation on the docket, including resurrecting Sen. Larry Taylor's Senate Bill 20, which would require women to pay a separate premium if they want their health plan to cover an elective abortion. Taylor's bill would have allowed health plans to cover abortions that are deemed medically necessary. The legislation did not make exceptions for cases of rape or incest. (Svitek, 6/6)

Columbus Dispatch:
House Bill Would Keep Mentally Ill From Death Row
For the second year in a row, the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney’s Association voiced strong opposition to a bill that would keep severely mentally ill people from being executed on death row. If passed, House Bill 81 would bar the possibility of the death penalty for people who can prove they had a serious mental illness when they committed aggravated murder. The maximum penalty would be a life sentence. The proposal also would permit for current death row inmates to apply for resentencing. (Keiper, 6/7)

The Cannabist:
Colorado Adds PTSD As A Qualifying Condition For Medical Marijuana, After Years Of Lobbying By Veterans
Post-traumatic stress disorder is now a qualifying condition for doctor-recommended medical marijuana in Colorado. Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday signed Senate Bill 17 into law. The act opens the doors for Colorado residents to receive a doctor’s OK to use medical marijuana in the treatment of PTSD symptoms. Colorado doctors could begin to make those PTSD-specific recommendations in as early as a week — or enough time to provide for the state’s information technology office to update the forms, said Dr. Larry Wolk, executive director and chief medical officer for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. (Wallace, 6/6)

The CT Mirror:
Paid Leave Bill Gets Air Time In Senate Before Being Tabled
The Senate devoted about an hour and a half Tuesday night to a symbolic debate on a bill to guarantee Connecticut workers between two and three months of paid family and medical leave. It was tabled at the end of the discussion. The bill had been a top priority for Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, who designated it Senate Bill No. 1. It gained little traction in a legislative session dominated by an ongoing budget crisis and concerns about the state’s business climate. (Constable, 6/6)

Health News Florida:
Scott Approves Payments In Deaths, Injuries
The family of a Florida State University football player who died during a 2001 training session will receive the remainder of a legal settlement after Gov. Rick Scott signed 11 “claim” bills last week. Many of the claim bills, among more than 30 measures Scott signed into law Friday, came years after people were injured or killed and lawsuits were filed alleging negligence by government agencies. (6/6)

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